Picture of the day – March 30

Manchester United and former Aberdeen manager Sir Alex Ferguson was made a Freeman of the City of Aberdeen (Ben Curtis/PA)

On this day in 1999, Alex Ferguson was made a Freeman of the City of Aberdeen.

The accolade came over a decade after Ferguson had left the Dons having led them to three Scottish league titles, four Scottish Cups, one League Cup, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the Super Cup.

Ferguson had eight years in charge at Pittodrie from 1978 and ended the Old Firm’s 14-year dominance of the Scottish title when he led Aberdeen to the championship in the 1979-80 campaign.

European success followed in 1983 when the Dons beat Real Madrid in the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup and then saw off European Cup holders Hamburg in the Super Cup.

Ferguson left Aberdeen in 1986 to join Manchester United and returned to the city in March 1999 to receive his honour, months before he led Manchester United to an unprecedented treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Later that year, he received a knighthood.

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